Read the latest news about research conducted by investigators in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. Our faculty and students are continually advancing technology, creating solutions and expanding knowledge with new and innovative research.
Grant funds research that could help certification of organic honey bee products
A $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will enable a team of researchers — led by Penn State entomologists — to assess foraging patterns of honey bees on organic farms, with an eye toward creating opportunities for beekeepers to produce certified-organic apiary products.
Novel implantable sensor sniffs out possible signals of osteoarthritis
If smoke indicates a fire, nitric oxide signals inflammation.
Penn State leads project to improve air quality models for state decision makers
Improving states’ ability to address air quality issues is the focus of a new $1 million, Penn State-led project funded by NASA.
New model to help reframe the transition to low-carbon electric power
Governments and societies around the world face increasing urgency in responding to climate change by accelerating the transition to a low-carbon energy system but differing views remain on the combination of energy technologies that will best achieve this goal.
Unique ferroelectric microstructure revealed for first time
A team of researchers have observed and reported for the first time the unique microstructure of a novel ferroelectric material, enabling the development of lead-free piezoelectric materials for electronics, sensors, and energy storage that are safer for human use.
Ceramic material could improve MRIs by enabling faster times, better images
An academic/enterprise partnership that includes Penn State researchers is developing a new dielectric material to enable magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines with shorter scan times and higher image resolutions, good news for cutting the cost of MRI scans for the hospitals and for patients who struggle with MRI-related anxiety.
New model that examines materials at mesoscale may be bridge to next-gen devices
A newly developed model may serve as a bridge between quantum mechanical calculations at the atomic scale and devices that could enable next-generation quantum technologies, according to a team of Penn State researchers.
Researchers to develop scaffolding for nerve regeneration with $2.14M NIH grant
To maximize healing for the easily damaged nerves, Penn State researchers are using a five-year, $2.14 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to develop a biodegradable nerve scaffold that aims to employ folate and citrate in novel ways.
Irreversible declines in freshwater storage projected in parts of Asia by 2060
New research led by scientists at Penn State, Tsinghua University and the University of Texas at Austin projects that climate change, under a scenario of weak climate policy, will cause irreversible declines in freshwater storage in the Tibetan Plateau, constituting a serious threat to the water supply for central Asia, Afghanistan, Northern India, Kashmir and Pakistan by the middle of the century.
Sara Andreoli receives EMS award for excellence in research
Sara Andreoli, a postdoctoral researcher who recently completed her appointment with the Earth and Mineral Sciences Energy Institute at Penn State, received the esteemed 2022 EMS Postdoctoral Excellence in Research Award.